Anti-Vaccination Group Calls for DOJ Investigation into SB 276

SACRAMENTO -- A day after the state Senate gave final approval on Senate Bill 276, which tightens the rules for school medical exemptions for children, some groups are calling for a federal investigation into how it was created.

Drawing dozens to the North Steps of the State Capitol Thursday, the anti-vaccination group Advocates for Physicians’ Rights called on the Department of Justice to investigate the passage of SB 276.

“Full-scale investigation of the county health officers, medical doctors, nurses and other licensed professionals who appear to have engaged in a multi-year campaign engineered to end-run and/or violate a multitude of federal and state laws,” said attorney Leigh Dundas with Advocates for Physicians’ Rights.

Dundas said some state officials broke federal privacy laws by trying to pass around vaccination exemption records while creating the bill.

“All of a sudden there’s all these ‘aye’ votes that were ‘nay’ votes before,” said Josh Coleman, the co-founder of the campaign “V is for Vaccine.” “So people are frustrated and so right now they’re posted up.”

Since the Senate gave final approval on Wednesday, anti-vaccination protestors have been chanting and holding signs in front of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

“Governor Newsom’s staff came out yesterday and talked to some of the activists but we want to go right to Newsom. We want to talk to him personally,” Coleman told FOX40.

The governor’s office has asked the bill’s author, Sen. Richard Pan, for additional amendments so that individual exemptions will not be released in public records requests.

Senator Pan has told FOX40 in the past the reason behind the bill is the number of medical exemptions granted in California has more than quadrupled since 2015.

Newsom’s office would also like doctors who grant too many exemptions to be able to appeal.

However, Coleman said he fears Newsom will ultimately sign the bill into law.

“The last thing I’ll do is have (my children) vaccinated,” Coleman said.